MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday the current situation with the mass media could be described as a "media war."

"It is a big media war, where many mass media outlets are literally dehumanizing themselves," he said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel.

When asked whether the mass media were an independent force or a propaganda tool, the Kremlin spokesman said information reported to general public by state-run mass media could be seen as propaganda in a good sense of the word. "They reflect the country’s position and do it professionally," he said.

In this context, he said, state-run mass media "often come under criticism" and it only proves they are doing their job well. He commended "their high activity and the high level of work.".